Calibrachoa plant named ‘Kirifu Blue’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa plant named ‘Kirifu Blue’ characterized by its spreading and prostrate plant habit; freely branching growth habit; short internodes giving a dense bushy appearance; small leaves; early and freely flowering habit; small pale violet-colored flowers with darker violet-colored throat; and good weather tolerance.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DESIGNATION

Calibrachoa pygmaea×Calibrachoa parviflora cultivar Kirifu Blue.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofCalibrachoa plant, botanically known as Calibrachoa pygmaea×Calibrachoaparviflora, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Kirifu Blue’.

The new Calibrachoa is a product of a planned breeding program conductedby the Inventors in Tochigi, Japan. The objective of the breedingprogram is to create new Calibrachoa cultivars with small leaves andflowers.

The new Calibrachoa originated from a cross-pollination made by theInventors in April, 1995, in Tochigi, Japan, of an unnamed proprietaryselection of Calibrachoa pygmaea, not patented, as the female, or seed,parent with an unnamed proprietary selection of Calibrachoa parviflora,not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Calibrachoa wasdiscovered and selected by the Inventors as a single flowering plantwithin the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlledenvironment in Tochigi, Japan, in September, 1996.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in acontrolled environment in Saitama-ken, Japan, since March, 1997, hasshown that the unique features of this new Calibrachoa are stable andreproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Kirifu Blue have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature and light intensitywithout, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Kirifu Blue’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Kirifu Blue,’ as a new and distinct cultivar ofCalibrachoa:

1. Spreading and prostrate plant habit.

2. Freely branching growth habit.

3. Short internodes giving a dense bushy appearance.

4. Small leaves.

5. Early and freely flowering habit.

6. Small pale violet-colored flowers with darker violet colored throats.

7. Good weather tolerance.

Plants of the new Calibrachoa can be compared to plants of the femaleparent, an unnamed proprietary selection of Calibrachoa pygmaea. Inside-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventors in Tochigi, Japan,plants of the new Calibrachoa differed from plants of the female parentin the following characteristics:

1. Flowers of plants of the new Calibrachoa were smaller than flowers ofplants of the female parent.

2. Flowers of plants of the new Calibrachoa were pale violet in colorwhereas flowers of plants of the female parent were white in color.

3. Flowers of plants of the new Calibrachoa produced very little pollenwhereas flowers of plants of the female parent produced abundant pollen.

Plants of the new Calibrachoa can be compared to plants of the maleparent, an unnamed proprietary selection of Calibrachoa parviflora. Inside-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventors in Tochigi, Japan,plants of the new Calibrachoa differed from plants of the male parent inthe following characteristics:

1. Flowers of plants of the new Calibrachoa were smaller than flowers ofplants of the male parent.

2. Flowers of plants of the new Calibrachoa were pale violet in colorwhereas flowers of plants of the male parent were purple in color.

Plants of the new Calibrachoa differ primarily from plants of theCalibrachoa cultivars Kirifu Red, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patentapplication Ser. No. 10/122,690 filed concurrently, Kirifu Compact Blue,disclosed in a U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/122,689 filedconcurrently, and Kirifu Compact Red, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patentapplication Ser. No. 10/122,688 filed concurrently, primarily in flowercoloration and plant size.

Plants of the new cultivar can be compared to plants of the cultivarLiricashower Pink, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conductedby the Inventors in Tochigi, Japan, plants of the new Calibrachoadiffered from plants of the cultivar Liricashower Pink in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Calibrachoa were not as broad as plants of thecultivar Liricashower Pink.

2. Flowers of plants of the new Calibrachoa were smaller than flowers ofplants of the cultivar Liricashower Pink.

3. Flowers of plants of the new Calibrachoa were pale violet in colorwhereas flowers of plants of the cultivar Liricashower Pink were redpurple in color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Calibrachoa. The photograph comprises a side perspective view ofa typical flowering plant of ‘Kirifu Blue’ that was about 14 weeks fromplanting a rooted young plant.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants with oneplant per 15.25-cm containers were grown under conditions which closelyapproximate commercial production conditions during the winter in SantaPaula, Calif., in a polyethylene-covered greenhouse. Plants used for thefollowing description were about seven weeks from planting rooted youngplants. During the production of the plants, day temperatures were about24 to 32° C., night temperatures were about 18 to 21° C., and lightlevels were about 4,000 to 6,000 footcandles.

Botanical classification: Calibrachoa pygmaea×Calibrachoa parvifloracultivar Kirifu Blue.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Unnamed proprietary selection of Calibrachoapygmaea, not patented.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Unnamed proprietary selection of Calibrachoaparviflora, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 5 days at 25° C. Winter: About 7days at 20° C.

Time to produce a rooted young plant.—Summer: About 21 days at 25° C.Winter: About 28 days at 20° C.

Root description.—Fine, fibrous, and white in color.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense.

Plant description:

Form.—Flowering plant with spreading and prostrate plant habit; lowmounded; short internodes, dense and bushy appearance.

Plant height (from soil level to top of plant plane).—About 8 cm.

Plant diameter (area of spread).—About 45 cm.

Branching habit.—Freely basal branching, about 46 basal branches perplant; lateral branches develop at potentially every node; pinching istypically not required.

Lateral branch description.—Length: About 32 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.Internode length: About 1 cm. Orientation: Upright to horizontal;decumbent. Texture: Pubescent; short, fine hairs. Strength: Strong, butflexible. Color: 146C.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate before flowering, afterflowering, opposite; simple. Quantity per lateral branch: More than 50.Length: About 1.7 cm. Width: About 4.5 mm. Shape: Oblanceolate tonarrowly elliptic. Apex: Obtuse to broadly acute. Base: Attenuate.Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surface: Coarse; slightlyglandular; minute pubescence. Fragrance: Spicy. Venation pattern:Pinnate. Color: Young and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 137A;venation, 137B. Young and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 137C;venation, 137C. Petiole length: About 2.5 mm. Petiole diameter: About 2mm. Petiole color: 144A.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Flowers face upright or outward; solitary andaxillary; salverform. Freely flowering habit, about 30 flowers andflower buds per lateral stem. Flowers persistent. Flowers not fragrant.

Natural flowering season.—Spring until frost in the autumn; floweringcontinuous during this period.

Time to flower.—Early flowering; plants begin flowering about two tothree weeks after planting.

Flower longevity on the plant.—About one week.

Flower size.—Diameter: About 1.7 cm. Height (depth): About 1.5 cm.Throat diameter: About 3 mm. Tube length: About 1 cm. Tube base: About 2mm.

Flower buds (showing color).—Length: About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.Shape: Roughly oblong. Color: 90A.

Corolla.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five petals, fused intoflared trumpet. Petal length from throat: About 7 mm. Petal width: About8 mm. Petal shape: Roughly spatulate. Petal apex: Rounded; cuspidate.Petal margin: Entire. Petal texture: Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Color:Petal, when opening, upper surface: 87C. Petal, when opening, lowersurface: 87A to 87B. Petal, opened flower, upper surface: 85A to 85B;color does not fade with subsequent development. Petal, opened flower,lower surface: 84A. Flower throat (inside): 90A. Flower tube (outside):148D; fine longitudinal stripes, 147B.

Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals fused atbase; star-shaped. Length: About 9 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Shape: Narrow,strap-like. Apex: Rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lowersurfaces: Minute pubescence. Color: Young and fully expanded sepals,upper surface: 147A. Young and fully expanded sepals, lower surface:147B.

Peduncles.—Length: About 4.5 mm. Width: Less than 1 mm. Strength:Strong. Angle: About 45° from stem. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 147C.

Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity: Five per flower; adnate tofloral tube. Anther shape: Round. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anthercolor: 4C. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 4C. Pistils: Quantity:One per flower. Pistil length: About 7 mm. Stigma shape: Rounded;curved. Stigma color: 145B. Style length: About 5 mm. Style color: 145C.Ovary color: 145C.

Seed/fruit.—Seed nor fruit production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Calibrachoa have not beennoted to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Calibrachoa.

Weather/temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Calibrachoa aretolerant to rain and wind and have been observed to toleratetemperatures from 3 to 35° C.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa plant named‘Kirifu Blue’, as illustrated and described.